While the creation of the French Seam is relatively obscure, the name however implies we know where the French Seam originated... that is unless you speak French. The sewing technique known as the French Seam in England is known as the Couture Anglaise in France. Thus- The English call it a French Seam and the French call it the English Seam. It seems that no one or everyone wanted to take credit for this tidy little stitch.
The French seam is a couture seam finish used in high-end clothing and is one of the most beautiful seams for any type of fabric—not just silks. It completely conceals raw edges and is sometimes used on the outside of garments. Since it ultimately has many layers, it is best used with lightweight and sheer silks such as three-ply or four-ply silk or silk crepe, crepe de Chine, charmeuse, chiffon, and georgette; however I use it any time I do not want a raw edge to appear.
It is very useful if you do not have lining. Since I do not want to line my underskirt, which would be about as pointless as lining a slip, I regularly use the French Seam to make the underskirt as well finished as the rest.
French Seams for Beginners...
To make a French seam, start by pinning the fabric with the wrong sides (the side of the fabric you don't want to be viewed) facing each other. Sew a seam 3/8 inch from the raw edge. At this point you should have a seam and raw edge on the side of the fabric that you want people to see.
It is my personal opinion that the seam should be clipped at this point, though many seamstresses disagree. I dislike raw edges and I tend to catch the raw edge in my second seam, so I use my pinking sheers to clip the fabric to 1/4 of an inch.
It is my personal opinion that the seam should be clipped at this point, though many seamstresses disagree. I dislike raw edges and I tend to catch the raw edge in my second seam, so I use my pinking sheers to clip the fabric to 1/4 of an inch.
To make your life easier... I suggest ironing the pinked edges to the right or the left of the seam. Don't press open. This can cause problems. You want to press the raw edges together. It will give you a crisper line with which to work.
Second step: With right sides (the fabric you want to face out) together, fold the fabric along the seamline, sandwiching the raw edge seam created above. Manipulate the fabric between your fingers to bring the stitching of the seam to the very edge.
Keeping in mind that you have clipped the now covered raw edge of the first seam down to 1/4 inch, sew a second seam, encasing the pinked raw edge. Press the seam to one side; then press again from the right side of the garment.
This stitch, makes a lovely seam from both the inside and the outside of the garment.
The Underskirt for Simplicity Pattern 8881
The process for sewing the underskirt for 8881 is really well outlined by the actual instructions. Basically you have your front section and six side and back panels. The side and back panels all have the same lower part and differ only in a small section near the waist.
Using the French Seam I put the skirt together in this order. (Sorry I forgot to take pictures of most of the steps.)
1. If I have a lace overlay for the underskirt, I top stich it to the front skirt panel.
2. French Seam the Back Side, and Side pieces together.
To make my life easier, I sew the side pieces together, then attach it to the front panel using French Seams. When I first started making this dress, I would sew all the tops to the bottoms and I'd get them mixed up. Now, once I have a panel finished, I attach it to the skirt and save myself some anxiety.
3. French Seam the back sections together and sew the center back seam leaving 6-8 inches for an opening. ( At this point I leave the opening raw, and I'll come back to it later.)
4. French Seam the back to the skirt.
I do not use the waist band! For me, having the underskirt and the overskirt separate is a lesson in patience and dexterity. As you walk in a farthingale, your skirts tend to slip a bit- especially the underskirt, since it is not attached to the bodice. Last year I made the underskirt complete then attached the waistbands. It was bulky and messy. This year I'm doing away with the underskirt waistband. (I'll explain more below. For now let's deal with the raw edge opening)
It is perhaps not my most professional method of handling skirt openings. My intital instinct is to put in a zipper, but there is the danger in the SCA patrol catching sight of it. Thus, I usually opt to do a simple roll stitch where the skirt parts in the back. It will be covered by your overskirt and as you can see in the picture, I hand basted the underskirt opening down, so it won't get in the way of the overskirt. (Red dots in the picture below)
Doing a roll stitch is easy. Fold the fabric 1/4 inch. Now fold it 1/4 inch again and top stitch. Done!
Finishing the Skirt Without the Waistband:
To attach my waistbandless underskirt to my overskirt, I first baste stitched a 1'' seam around the top of the skirt. Pulling the thread I gathered the skirt opening until it matched the measurements of my overskirt.
Just like when I attached my overskirt to the waistband, I found the center of my underskirt and pinned it to the center front of my overskirt waistband.
I matched up the outside edges with the edges of my waistband. (Note: I did line these up about 1/2 of an inch from the outside edge of the waist band to hide any white showing) Pinnning the gathered underskirt in place, took a little patience, but in the end it looked lovely.
Because my sewing machine is already shuddering due to the bulk in the overskirt, I opted to whip stitch the underskirt in place. I did this for a second reason: The underskirt is usually the part of the dress which needs to be replaced first. By whip stitching the underskirt to the overskirt it makes it easily switched when the hem of the underskirt becomes worn.A whip stich is when you loop the thread catching the top and the bottom of the fabric you are attaching. It doesn't look pretty, but it is hidden and ultimately (for me) forgivable. :)
At last the skirt has been sewn together; however the longest journey is still ahead. Now that the skirt is finished, hemming must occur. It's important that you have your hoop, bumroll, and both skirts completed before you hem. It is also a very good idea to have your bodice completed and that you wear the shoes you are going to wear to the fair on during the hemming process.I'll talk about Hemming in my next blog entry in more detail.
As of right now my trip to the MRF is now a month away...
Skirt to do:
- Grommets,
- Hemming,
- Adornments for underskirt
Bodice:
- Move corseting loops for new waist size (Yay)
- Add fabric cover
- Add Jewelry
Partlet
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